The University of Idaho Stillinger Herbarium (https://www.uidaho.edu/research/entities/herbarium) is seeking a Collections Manager.
Established in 1892, the Stillinger Herbarium is the largest herbarium in Idaho, and the herbarium’s collections contribute to a wide variety of research at the University of Idaho and beyond, supporting research in systematics, ecology, floristics, conservation biology, and natural resource management. The herbarium and its resources are also used for both formal and informal teaching and learning at the University of Idaho, and in the community.
Mission: The Stillinger Herbarium champions the stewardship of plant diversity, inspires and prepares the next generation of botanists, and advances collections-based botanical research, education, and outreach at the University of Idaho through innovative thinking, transformative educational experiences, and community engagement.
Vision: The Stillinger Herbarium enhances the University of Idaho’s impact and facilitates its land-grant research mission by providing an innovative and accessible botanical resource that documents the diversity of plants, lichens, and fungi in Idaho, the Pacific Northwest, and the world through space and time, while cultivating a group of inspired and engaged citizens, students, and scientists.
Position Summary:
Provide leadership, oversight, and outreach for the University of Idaho Stillinger Herbarium in collaboration with the Director and in accordance with the herbarium’s mission to 1) document the flora of Idaho and the Pacific Northwest through space and time, 2) facilitate, support, and conduct research and education in plant systematics, floristics, and ecology at the University of Idaho, 3) serve as a repository for voucher specimens from botanical research conducted at the University of Idaho, 4) serve as a reference for the identification of plant diversity, and 5) provide access to the collection and its associated data for the scientific community. Responsibilities include: generating external funding, conducting independent floristic and/or biodiversity informatics research, managing databases, hiring, training, and supervising an array of personnel, setting priorities, delegating work, hosting visiting scholars/researchers, processing loans, gifts, and exchanges, answering requests for data and plant identifications, and keeping the herbarium open on a regular basis. In addition, this position will be expected to maintain a working knowledge of ongoing scientific advancements in the fields of Natural History Collections Management and Biodiversity Informatics. The Collections Manager will contribute to the teaching, research, and outreach missions associated with a major land grant university. The herbarium houses over 200,000 specimens of vascular plants, non-vascular plants, lichens, and fungi, and between 1,000 and 5,000 collections are added annually.
Job Duties Include:
Directing the day-to-day operations of the Herbarium, maintaining and improving existing herbarium collections, curating new accessions, including specimen identification, directing the herbarium’s loan/exchange/gift program with other institutions nationally and internationally, maintaining and improving herbarium equipment, especially computer resources (hardware, software, and databases), and providing a safe work environment. Administrative duties include the recruitment, training, and supervision of graduate assistants, part-time staff, work-study students, and volunteers, working with the Director to develop and manage budgets relating to herbarium activities, and annual reporting to funding agencies and the university. Research expectations include, leading all phases of field-based research and collecting for the Herbarium, writing grant proposals with the Director to support field-based research and strategic growth of the Herbarium, including digitization projects and online databases, participating in the dissemination of scholarship, which includes presenting research findings at scientific meetings, manuscript writing for ongoing research projects, and participating in the peer-review process for scientific journals.
Minimum Qualifications:
1. M.S. or Ph.D. in Botany or related discipline
2. Experience working with botanical collections and/or curation of natural history collections.
3. Knowledge of standard herbarium protocols and natural history collections management.
4. Ability to collect, press, dry, mount,systems.
5. Understanding of the flora of western North America.
6. Ability to conduct extended, remote, field-based research and collection trips for the Herbarium.
Preferred Qualifications:
1. Personnel management experience.
2. Experience preparing grant proposals.
3. Knowledge of non-vascular and mycological species.
4. Strong record of publishing scientific research pertaining to botany.
For additional information, and how to apply for this position go to https://uidaho.peopleadmin.com/postings/22235. This position will remain open until filled; preferential review of applicants will begin on September 13, 2018.